Ball and socket connection



July-21,1931. I F.L. GRANT 1,815,771

I 7 BALL AND SOCKET CONNECTION Filed Dec. 31, 1928 I invention relates to 'ball-and-socket connections,

Patented July 21,1931 f L mam: LGRANT, or cnnvnmun, onro, ASSIGNOR TO THE GABRIEL COMPANY, OF

CLEVELAND, OHIO, AWORPORATION OF OHIO BALL AND socxEr CONNECTION Application filedlbeee nber 81, 1928. Serial No. 329,384.

and more particularly to the means for preventing access of dust to such means or excluding I It is the ave \ ter'ioration.

a sectional view throu connections. While capable of more general application, the means shown herein is .designed with special reference for use with ball-and-socket connections between the ends of the arms which connect shock absorbers of the hydraulic ty c with the axles of the vehicles on which the shock absorbers are used. The aforesaid connections are exposed to the dust arising from the roads on which the automobiles are traveling, and it is important that the should be'provided with effective such dust from the working parts thereof.

invention to eco omical of production, -and which is capab le of accomplishing the dust exclusion in efficient manner. Y v I v A rther object ofthe invention is to pro- .vide a cooperating arrangement of -dust cap.

and mounting therefor which will enable the cap to withstand the incidents of use over a protracted In the drawings forming part ofthisapplication, Fig. 1 represents'a vertical sectional view through a ball-and-socket joint having my invention applied thereto and showing the ends of the arms connected by such jomt;-Fig. 2 a detail in section corre sponding to the line 22 of Fig. -1; F1 3 4 an end elevation of t e sections'of a bushin' employed with my dust cap; Fig. 5 a si e elevation of one of the sections of said bushing; and Figs. 6 and 7 are views corres onding respectively to Figs. '4 and 5 and 's owing a modification of such bushing.

' Describing the parts by reference characters, A representsthe upper part of a socket housing which is connected to the arm'B. C denotes the ball which is employed with the socket, the said ball being carried by an arm D. The ball may be mounted in the socket housing in any desired .manneras, for instancegin the manner shown in the apgeneral purpose and object of-the provide a dust'cap for a joint of. the character referred to pzvhich is simple and period of time andfwithout de which'are adapted to fit about the surface h the dust cap ig. .vided with flanges K and K plication of David Benjamin filed October .12, 1928, Serial No. 312,043. In the form tially frusto-conical seat tapering from its 5 open end A toward the closed rear end A The socket comprises an upper housing section E and a lower housing section E; the housing sections when thus united providing a frusto-conical outer surface adapted to be seated within the .frusto-conical surface of the housing A. The sections E and E are so constructed that, whe so assembled, the rear end of the housin thus formed will be closed, as indicated at except for an opening' extending therethrough and registering with a like opening in the rear of the housin A for the passage of the connection through which lubricant may be forced into the joint.

Within the housing E, E is mounted a.

of the ball C. The packing members J, J are retained in' place within the housing members E, E by means of front flanges E on said members, the said housing members providing an opening E for the reception of the adjacent reduced portion D of the arm D. J

"The lining members K and K are prowhich are adapted to contact when the socket members are assembled and which extend between the proximate edges of the members J, J and E, E. The construction of the socket mounting for the ball forms in its details no part of my invention, the same being shown, described and claimed in the aforesaid application of David Benjamin. J In order to exclude dust from the, ball-andsocket joint, I employ a dust cap L, made of deformable material, preferably semihard rubber. This cap has a cylindrical main body 'L extending from a neck 'L provided I respectively, 4

, which is adapted to receive a about the reduced portion D shoulders adapted to engage the bushing inv I 15 i at the end of the cylindrical main at its center with a cylindrical aperture L bushing fitting of the arm D. The dustcap is provided at the end opposite said central aperture with a flange L which is adapted to bear against the open end A of the housing A, the said flange being foil'amgd y portion L of said cap, from which cylindrical portion a frusto-conical portion L extends to the opposite end of the cap. At the outer endof the reduced portion D, the arm D is provided with lugs D having serted in the aperture L In applying the dustcap to its seat D, the cap isfirst softened, as by hot water, to an extent which will allow it to be stretched sufficiently to be slipped over the ball G, and

. tion shown in Figs. 4

over the bushing applied to the seat D. For the bushing, I prefer to use the construcand 5, wherein the bushing is shown as made up of two symmetrical sections each comprising a semicircular flange M adapted to bear against an outers eat L at the extreme of the neck of the dust cap and having oneor more segmental cylindrical tongues M projectingfrom said flange within the wall of the neck aperture L and adapted to engage the reduced portion D of. the arm D. The internal diameter of the bushing is slightly greater than the diameter of the cylindrical shaft portion D of the arm D. The cap is supported by the housing E, E, as shown in Fig. 1, with the result that a slight clearance is normally provided between the bushing tongues M and the shaft D. J The wall of the neck aperture L clamps the bushing sections together and this manner of mount; ing provides for an easy relatively rotary movement between the shaft and the dust cap, the friction being reduced to a minimum and being mainly due to the bearing of the flange M against the lugs D Dust ca fs of the type shown herein have f been applied heretofore to'the shaft portions D of arms D withthe wall of the ap-' erture L in engagement with suchshaft port1on and with a split spring washer inserted between the outer .face of the neck portion of the cap and the lugs D In operation this has resulted in wearing the wall L of the neck aperture. Furthermore, due to the frictional engagement ofthe parts, the washe! is frequentlyturned' to an extent to bring the split thereof against one of the lugs D with the result that further relative rotary movement of the washer and the shaft D has resulted in splitting the washer 'and'rendering it ineffective and useless. By the construction shown and described herein, the

disadvantages referred to are overcome and, the dust cap is not only effectivd for the purarm D and engaging .cap being InFigs'. 6 and 7, there is shown a modification of the bu aflanged base. M from which a semi-cylinhing wherein each section has I drical sleeve M projects, the bushing formed by assembling the parts providing a sleeve completely surrounding the part D of the cal opening L throughout its circumferential extent.

Having thus described I claim is:

1. A dust cap iny invention, what for a ball-and-socket joint having a housing provided with an opening,

a mounting on said housing, tending through said opening and having a ball in said mounting, the ing 'a body of deformable material having one end provided with a bore and its other end adapted. to enclose said opening, and a bushing in said bore ada tion of said arm ad acent to said housing.

2. A dust cap for a ball-and-socket joint having a housing provided with an opening, a mounting on said housing, tending through said opening and having a ball in said mounting, the said cap comprising a body of deformable material having one endprovided with a bore and its other end-adapted to enclose s'aidopening, and a bushing in said bore adapted to surround the portion of said arm adjacent to said housing, and provided with a radially extending flange at the outer end thereof adapted to en? gage the corresponding portion of the body of the cap. 7 I I 3. .A dust cap adapted for use in connecthe wall of the cylindri- 1 ted to surround the por-' and an arm exsaid cap comprisand an arm extion with a ball and socket joint comprised of a rod carrying a ball and a socket presenting a frusto-conical outer surface, said cap including a di k-like portion provided with a bore adapted to receive said rod and an annular flange adapted to receive said socket, said cap being made of resilient material said cap including a bushing fitting wlthin said bore.

4. A dust cap adapted for use in connection with a -ball and socket joint rod carrying a ball and a socket presenting a frusto-conical outer surface, said cap including a disk-like portion provided with a bore adapted to receive said rod and an annular comprised of a flange adapted to receive sald socket, said with a ball and socket joint comprised of a rod carrying a ball and a socket presenting a frusto-conical outer surface, said cap including a disk-like portion provided with a bore adapted to receive said rod and an annular flange adapted to receive said socket, said cap being made of resilient material, said ea in- CllldlIlg a bushing fitting within said re, said bushing including two semi-circular flanges and a. plurality of tongues integral with each and extending perpendicularly thereto.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature. i

FRANK L. GRANT. 

